Louisa M. Swann

Born on an Indian reservation in northern California, Louisa Swann spent the first six months of her life carried around in a papoose carrier. Determined not to remain a basket case forever, she escaped the splintered confines and proceeded to participate in, make a living as, or halfheartedly attempt the following: student, maid, waitress, receptionist, flight attendant, secretary, ski instructor, ski patrol (volunteer), and engineering assistant. She finally settled down on an eighty-acre ranch in northern California with hubby, son, two horses, cat, a varying population of rabbits, deer, coyotes, bobcats, cougars, snakes, frogs, birds, bugs, and no electricity. The human members of the family put up with Louisa’s writerly eccentricities—which have resulted in numerous short story publications in various anthologies—with only a few minor squabbles. On the other hand, the horses, dog, cat, and miscellaneous wildlife understand her completely. She often goes to them for grooming when the rest of the world becomes too difficult to handle.